Conor McGregor is a force of nature. Having been in the space around him earlier this year on a trip to Ireland, I can attest to this first hand.
With just a single performance and a mere four months of active service time on the UFC roster, the Irish featherweight prospect has become a star on the rise, and a subject of much debate and discussion.
Some argue that the hype and push is coming too hard, too soon. Never have we seen a fighter with a single UFC victory under their belt ushered out in front of a crowd for their own personal media workout. It’s a move that has rubbed some the wrong way, just as all the talk about McGregor as a championship contender despite his lack of “big league” experience has caused some of his colleagues and many of those that cover the sport to bristle.
On the other hand, there hasn’t been a fighter as skilled at genuine self-promotion that has generated as much attention as McGregor has garner come along in quite some time. Chael Sonnen worked hard to sell you on his credentials, but regardless of the quality of his pitch, it always felt like you were being sold a bill of goods… because you were.
While his confidence comes across at a different volume, McGregor’s self-assuredness is really no different than what current UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman said on his way to beating Anderson Silva. Long before he was signed to fight “The Spider,” Weidman said he was a bad matchup for the then-champion and that he was going to beat the man that hadn’t been beaten in 16 UFC appearances.
Many scoffed, asked “Why him? What has he done?” and then they all watched as Weidman connected with a left hook as Silva danced in the cage, ending the longest championship reign in UFC history, just as he said he would.
“If you want to be successful, if you want to reach them high levels, this is a must – you must do all this media,” McGregor said in his rapid fire Irish deliver, when we spoke Monday evening. “I understand that it comes with the territory, and I’m prepared for that. I’ve prepared myself mentally for it. I prepare myself by not really giving a s— in a roundabout way.
“This is just talking to somebody on the phone – and that’s really what it is – so I don’t really dwell on it, you know? Keep my focus on the fight, and that’s all I’m thinking about.
“Well, I’m thinking about some food now as well,” he adds. “I’m hungry.”
While it was true in the literal sense Monday evening as we spoke, it is true in the figurative sense also, as McGregor wants nothing more than a chance to represent his country and put his skills on full display against the best the UFC has to offer.
This weekend in Boston, the 25-year-old John Kavanaugh student gets the opportunity to show he’s more than a one-hit wonder when he shares the cage with another promising, young featherweight talent, Max Holloway, who stepped up on short notice to replace injured Brit Andy Ogle.
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Though he’s always eager to get in the Octagon and perform, the chance to do so in Boston serves as even further motivation for McGregor, not that he needed it.
“It is a big thing for me to carry that tricolor in there and walk out with pride,” admitted McGregor, who carries a nine-fight winning streak into Saturday’s preliminary card contest.
“Our little nation has been waiting a long time to get somebody in the No. 1 combat organization in the world, the UFC. Now that I’m here, I carry that with pride every time, and make sure that the world knows that the Irish are here, and the Irish are coming.
“This show in Boston – to get to come over here and represent my nation, it’s something that I take very seriously. It means a lot to me, and it means a lot to Ireland. We are a nation of combat lovers, and to be the guy in here representing, it’s brilliant, and there are many more to come.”
One of the knocks on the fighter aptly billed as “The Notorious” has been that his sudden rise to fame has gone to his head; that he’s been caught up in his own hype, and the rush of attention and popularity has somehow changed him.
That would be true if McGregor were a mild-mannered, soft-spoken soul prior to bursting on the UFC scene back in April, but he’s been this way – charismatic, magnetic, loud, confident –long before the UFC came calling, and no amount of criticism is going to change that now.
If anything, McGregor welcomes the questions and challenges, as all it does is get his name out there further and bring more attention to his fights.
“To be honest, the more they talk, the better,” McGregor said of his detractors. “If they think I’m letting this go to my head, that’s great, but at the end of the day, I don’t give a s— what nobody else thinks. I just focus on my team, my family – people that are in my circle; that’s all that matters to me.
“If that’s what gets more people interested – `This guy is letting it go to his head; I’m gonna tune in and see this train wreck happen’ – that’s great. It all translates into more hype, and it’s only a good thing. At the end of the day, what my friends think, what my family thinks is all that really matters to me. They’re the only ones that I focus on. Somebody online? I’m gonna leave them to it.”
If you think it’s all bluster – an over-confident fighter deflecting criticism with a clichéd answer – take a minute to talk to McGregor about the backing he’s received from UFC President Dana White, and you’ll see a fighter with his head planted squarely on his shoulders.
From the time he first set foot in the Octagon and all the way through to this fight, the UFC boss has been quick to praise the Irish prospect, and herald him as a future star. Earlier this summer, McGregor spent some time in Las Vegas, and was videotaped cruising down the strip with White in his Ferrari. As much as he appreciates the support, McGregor’s perception of the situation is as accurate as the off-center strikes he throws in the cage.
“It’s not the worst thing if the boss is on your side,” he said with a laugh, no truer statement possible. “Honestly, I don’t dwell on it too much. Anything can happen in this game. This is business; it’s nothing personal. I just focus on my training, show up in shape, show up and perform, and more praise will come.
“Of course, it’s great to have that backing, and have him mention my name and hype be up, but honestly, if he didn’t, it wouldn’t make no difference. I don’t let it get to my head. I stay ready. I stay in shape, and on fight night, I will perform.”
Many people – myself very much included – are looking forward to Saturday night’s contest, as Holloway will serve as a litmus test for the much-hyped, much-discussed prospect.
If his performance against Brimage was his debut single, Saturday night’s encore needs to be as big a hit, or McGregor will be at risk of being deemed a one-hit wonder. Personally, I’ve been all-in on the engaging Irishman since before his debut, and not because he’s a terrific interview or a tornado of confidence and swagger.
Beyond having the “It Factor” to become a superstar, the way he moves in the cage is different than most, and the conversations I’ve had with both his coach and his teammate Cathal Pendred had it clear that McGregor is more than just another fighter. Like them, I believe he’s a champion in the making, and it won’t be long before we see him facing the best the featherweight division has to offer.
Admittedly, no one should expect his coach and his training partner to say otherwise, and that’s what makes Saturday night so important and so anticipated.
For his part, McGregor is promising to put on another show, and give his critics something more to talk about come Sunday morning.
“You can expect creativity. You can expect spontaneity. Is that a word? Well that’s what you can expect. I’m going to go forward. I’m gonna go at him. It’s gonna be a spectacle, and they’re all gonna be talking, just like they always are, good or bad.”